Did you buy your first handgun in order to protect your bride? Your family?

Just curious.
I’ve been into guns since I was a kid, but if I hadn’t, would I?
I’d like to think I would as it is a solemn matter of personal responsibility to desire to protect the ones you love.
When talking to newlyweds, I find such reasoning very touching.
Also being a protector is a masculine trait and there are precious few masculine traits being lauded these days (though certainly not meaning to dismiss the Momma Bears!)
When you talk to anti 2As, do you mention this? What responses do you get?

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Nope. Bought it to hunt wild boar.

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I bought my first gun in Honolulu. Took less than an hour. That was spring 1980. I was in the Navy and getting ready to deploy for six months and the wife wanted a home defense weapon. It was a S&W model 10 .38 special snub nose. We would go to the public outdoor range and for 25 cents, get a paper target and patch holes with masking tape. Then we would go home and reload the brass. Could barely afford that, but we made it work… Still have that gun, now with a few others :blush:

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Negative.

For one, I don’t think firearms ownership or firearms carry or self defense/defensive of family should be considered a masculine trait. We’d be a lot better off both in terms of violent crime rate and people’s votes if we could get even 1/4 as many women into this level of involvement as there are men.

I don’t want to push somebody away by giving them the impression it’s a masculine thing if that will either cause resentment because they don’t like that general attitude/gender role requirement, nor do I want to have it come off as challenging their masculinity, or lead down the road (which gun owners sometimes folly into, let alone the ‘other side’) of associating firearms with male anatomy or any of that crap.

I’d rather just avoid that whole area of the flow chart a conversation can follow

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I bought my first after watching The Discovery Channel’s American Guns.
Using it for self-defense was a natural progression.

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As for my first handgun, I bought it for self defense, EDC and home, when I was 21. Got my carry permit around the same time.

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For fun.

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I did not grow up in a firearm family. But I always had an interest in them. Shot a .22 for the first time at a friends in high school. Bought my first many years later with the thought of self defense, target shooting fun and potentially hunting.

Have definitely bought my last couple with family defense in mind, but also for target shooting fun and the thought of eventually getting in on some competitions.

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I never thought I would carry a firearm. Even after moving to USA I didn’t need it for over 10 year.
Situational awareness worked for me perfectly fine… but it didn’t work great for my son. One mistake, few seconds of distraction. Unfortunately there is no such thing as “fair fight” anymore, so the firearm is the equalizer.
My EDC is for protection. There is a big responsibility for the Family, once you are husband and father.

But, after few years I found it also to be a fun and good reason to meet friends and spend great time shooting.

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I bought several and when i got married and was legally allowed to do so, gave my wife her first pistol…

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My first gun was issued to me for free as part of the NYPD academy training. I got the Ruger Police Service Six. It was meant to protect myself and the citizens of NYC.

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My first gun was for home defense and hunting. Although it is possible to carry it for self defense, and I do in the woods, that is not it’s primary purpose. But it can serve all of the above, with careful wardrobe selection.

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My wife introduced me to fire arms. Her father gave me my first fire arm a rifle REM 700 30-06 as a wedding present. She had her CCW permit so I thought I should get one too, you might say to protect me from her, but don’t believe it.

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My first gun came to me at age ten.Remington model 11 20 gauge shotgun.My first handgun came at 17.Still have them both.My family always had guns and always will.Cant say they where purchased for defense…back then there wasn’t much need.

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Bought my first gun after my brother in law took me shooting (he was just my girlfriends brother at the time). They convinced me to get my CHL.

I did not start consistently carrying until my son was born.

Wish I had started younger, though I guess I was a little more care free and less stressed at the time. Younger me would be shocked to see me now :joy::rofl:.

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Until recently I only owned an old Browning 30-06 and Winchester 12-gauge that my father used many years ago. For the majority of my life I never considered a handgun and never worried much about home or family defense, though I was always pro-2A. I am approaching retirement age now. Never bought a pistol until late spring of 2020. Certain wide-spread events back then changed my mind in regard to family and home defense. I now generally train weekly (monthly at a minimum) and am coming up on two years as a USCCA member. As the US Constitution seems to be ever more on the chopping block, I have become more of a vocal 2A advocate with friends, family, and neighbors who are genuinely curious and open-minded.

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Had 30-30 Winchester and a 20 gsuge . Bought my first handgun in 2020 and have been learning and training as much as possible

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My wife predicted blm and antifa and government destabilizing the country 10 years ago…so I took the class, got my permit, bought a pistol… Shot some as a youth, NRA certified at age 12, but ambivalent about firearms for decades. I was always fanatical about something growing up, bicycles, then motorcycles, had 256’ of boats for awhile (13 boats at the same time, 18 total)…now it’s been firearms. Don’t have to pay storage fees, don’t need shuttle-buddies, no flat tires or road rash…and they keep me focused and calm.

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So grateful for my past Army service showing me proper gun use…saw the destabilizing of the US and purchased several right away well before the recent hype!

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My first pistol was a 1911 lent to me by the Army, the first gun I purchased was a Smith and Wesson 645 in stainless I purchased for target practice and because I liked the look. Back then it wasn’t legal to carry in Wisconsin unless you were some sort of law enforcement. I have since purchased multiple pistols for various reasons which range from CCW to Practical Target Shooting.

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